Author Topic: Jimmy Lewis Rail  (Read 34193 times)

yugi

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #45 on: December 12, 2016, 05:54:43 AM »
Have you tried a 14x26 Bark Vapor, Yugi? There's a new super-light one for 2017 (full carbon, vacuum-bagged, and a claimed 8 lbs lighter (!!) than the standard board). It is fast and fun downwind, will cope with just about anything wind- or chop-wise, and is a shade faster in flat water than a rockered downwind board.

Damn! No! That we don't have around here.

You'll need to buy a Rail26 and let me know how they compare. The Rail is pretty sweet in flat, light chop and excels in heavy chop and DW. Those speeds that were quoted at the tp of this thread are for the Rail28. The  Rail26 is a hell of a lot sleeker for flats and lightwind. Personally i don't need a bigger board tan the x26.5 (and I'm 55), I just need to get better.

Badger

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #46 on: December 12, 2016, 05:57:29 AM »
^ Sunova has those great videos with Burt Berger explaining them, and they are on the website. yes, we do need a killer DW board from Sunova. Not a dugout please, nice clean surfboard inspired design.

Yeah, Berts videos are great and Jimmy has some good ones too.

Still, the websites are lacking for good photos and we need more usable info in the descriptions.

I would love to see a surf inspired DW board from Sunova.


« Last Edit: December 12, 2016, 06:26:22 AM by Badger »
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yugi

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #47 on: December 12, 2016, 07:18:08 AM »
 8)

« Last Edit: December 12, 2016, 07:24:26 AM by yugi »

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #48 on: December 12, 2016, 08:18:30 AM »
Have you tried a 14x26 Bark Vapor, Yugi? There's a new super-light one for 2017 (full carbon, vacuum-bagged, and a claimed 8 lbs lighter (!!) than the standard board). It is fast and fun downwind, will cope with just about anything wind- or chop-wise, and is a shade faster in flat water than a rockered downwind board.

Damn! No! That we don't have around here.

You'll need to buy a Rail26 and let me know how they compare. The Rail is pretty sweet in flat, light chop and excels in heavy chop and DW. Those speeds that were quoted at the tp of this thread are for the Rail28. The  Rail26 is a hell of a lot sleeker for flats and lightwind. Personally i don't need a bigger board tan the x26.5 (and I'm 55), I just need to get better.
Funny, there's a used one for sale near me, and I'm tempted. The trouble is that I already own SEVEN 14ft Downwind-type boards (I'm counting the Sidewinder in there although I don't downwind it). This really does beg the question of how many 14ft DW boards does anyone need  ;D ;D

When I looked at it, the Rail looked pretty similar to my 14ft Bullet V1. Sleeker, but pretty similar overall. I'm not sure that I particularly want to go narrower than the Bullet in that design, since I already have narrower boards I could downwind on (e.g. 23" wide Sidewinder; 26" Vapor, 14x25 Ace, not to mention a 16x24.5" and a 17x26.75").

But it's such a gorgeous board, I am tempted nevertheless. I've no idea where I'd put it. But maybe actually the 14x28 Rail might offer me something that I don't have at the moment - a Bullet V1-type board but with more stability. It gets hell crappy and messy around here, and stability is speed in big conditions. Trouble is, it would mean buying one new, and I can get a custom made for the same price or less... decisions, decisions.... ;)

yugi

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #49 on: December 12, 2016, 09:05:44 AM »
Buy first, think later.

IMO it's the best chop n slop all conditions, including DW, board.

Then sell some you use less. I think you're beginning to have a wee bit of overlap in your quiver.

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #50 on: December 12, 2016, 09:16:46 AM »
Haha! "Buy first think later" is how I got into this mess! But I like your style, and there is indeed a use for a Darwinian approach to board ownership - keep buying and then sell the one you find yourself not using any more. Survival of the most used. (Although I do have a 12ft gun that doesn't get used often - but when time comes for it you really need it bad.)

Those pics of the Rail are excellent. The rocker is surprisingly flat for a DW board. I can now see why it goes well in flat water. I must give it a go...

Eagle

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #51 on: December 12, 2016, 10:10:17 AM »
yugi - would suspect the 26.5 Rail to be a perfect fit to ride in these waters.  You know I was looking for a prototype but never came across one.  Definitely if I was in the market for a DW board the Rail would be top of the ticket.

The past months the only board I have used is the AS23.  The tippy tippy has somehow disappeared and am feeling quite comfortable on that board now.  Somehow have now fallen in since the first couple of weeks.  Actually though you are probs 100% right -> an AS23 and 26.5 Rail would be a perfect quiver for me.

A10 - you know you want one.   ;)
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #52 on: December 12, 2016, 11:14:47 AM »
Yes Eagle, I do want one - the moment I saw that lovely new blue color they are doing, I was sold  ;D

Mind you, the U-Boat looks unreal now as well. When it first came out I remember saying to the UK JL dealer that it was shame it wasn't black and one of the lovely lovely blue colors that JL does instead of black and yellow.  Well, now it is! Jimmy must be a mind-reader. It might not be the most practical colour scheme for hot climates but it sure looks absolutely fantastic to my eye. And we all now that boards that look nice go faster  ;)

Btw, how well does the Rail surf?

One of the great advantages of the M14 over pretty much all of its competitors is that it is better to surf. I really enjoy surfing the long boards. In fact yesterday I was surfing my 16fter in chest-high waves and got some rides that were almost half a mile long. If the Rail is as good as the M14 for surf it would make an even stronger case for itself.

yugi

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #53 on: December 12, 2016, 11:33:09 AM »
^ it might be.

We lack surf here but on boat wakes it's quicker to take off and as easy to control than the M14. Maybe easier as it's less volume and a lot lighter (Lighter than a Bullet V2). It's like a smaller, nimbler and faster M14. Oh, and it glides longer. A bit tippy feeling at first but I think that goes away quickly.

Buy it, ride it, report back.

PS Then sell your 7 other 14' boards. With that cash you can get a Rail in every color. And a wide one to throw parties on.

PPS What's with the fascination with cutting bows? Aren't you in wind'n'chop bay?

viatormundi

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #54 on: December 12, 2016, 12:05:32 PM »
Yugi,
I see in your pictures that your Rail has the tracker fin as advertised on the catalogue. Mine came with the Sidewinder fin. Which of these are better for downwinds? The Sidewinder fin is more straight looks like the fins on SIC downwind boards.

coldsup

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #55 on: December 12, 2016, 01:04:07 PM »
The tracker fin is great for stability in rough crappy conditions and straightline....try turning it ....oops! I binned mine quick.

yugi

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #56 on: December 12, 2016, 01:10:55 PM »
^yep. Came off quick. Those photos were its maiden voyage.

Jimmy likes those tracker fins but I much prefer a more upright one. Turning is the fun part.

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #57 on: December 12, 2016, 01:41:57 PM »
Yugi,
I see in your pictures that your Rail has the tracker fin as advertised on the catalogue. Mine came with the Sidewinder fin. Which of these are better for downwinds? The Sidewinder fin is more straight looks like the fins on SIC downwind boards.
Neither of them is any good for downwinding. Get yourself a True Ames Squirrel cutaway fin or a FCS II click-in Fat Boy and never look back...

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #58 on: December 12, 2016, 01:58:39 PM »
PPS What's with the fascination with cutting bows? Aren't you in wind'n'chop bay?
I'm lucky in that I have a wide range of conditions to paddle in just near me, from protected perfectly flat water to the kinds of conditions where suddenly all your friends seem to be mysteriously too busy to go paddling ;)

In pure flat water, and indeed, in mild upwind chop, you can't really beat a cutting bow. They are simply faster. The top pros tend to favour more all-round designs now I think because: (a) they can't carry a quiver of raceboards around with them, and races vary hugely in their conditions across the globe; (b) boof- or prone paddle-board nosed boards (and I'm bending the definition here to include e.g. the Maliko and Fanatic Falcon in this) are good for short sprints - useful not only for sprint races (see Caspar at the ISA Worlds on a Maliko) but also for the first few seconds of a race where you are sprinting to get out front into clear water; (c) boof- or prone-paddleboard nosed boards are good for drafting, and for 99% of the field in most international races, the result often comes down to how well you've drafted someone faster than you. So, the fact that this type of "all-waters" type board is seen more often in use by top pros isn't I think that they are faster in a straight line in most conditions (except big downwind). Instead it is created by the nature of racing and races. That's my theory, anyway. The GPS doesn't lie: in pure flat water my cutting bow nosed boards absolutely murder any of my non-cutting-bow ones over anything more than a long sprint.

Eagle

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Re: Jimmy Lewis Rail
« Reply #59 on: December 12, 2016, 02:21:51 PM »
I may be going against the grain - but for more stability and drawn out turns the Tracker is perfectly fine.  Just a tad too heavy in glass.  But if you have enough stability and now want to turn a bit quicker - then go to a moderate sized fin like a FCS Touring.  If your stability is still ok - then go to a small fin like the SIC 7.0 for quick turns and no broaching.  We basically use 3 sizes and that covers all bases perfectly ok.  Maybe some day will try a Fat Boy though.

If you are new to DW and feel tippy on your board - a more stable fin will help out a lot.  When you are solid on that you will definitely want more performance.  You can feel the speed difference immediately with a smaller fin.  I actually use a big tracker fin on purpose at times because it forces me to pay very close attention and not broach on a DW run.  Your margin of error becomes very small angling across waves - especially on my AS23.  Makes it a little bit more challenging so that when you use a smaller fin - that becomes super easy to handle when you plop it in.  I find now the Bullet 14V2 is overly stable for my purposes.  It kinda feels like a dock and does not tip anymore.  Weird how your perceptions change over time.

Jimmy maybe realized that the Tracker fin is just to big for most to handle - and most switch out anyways.  I like the big Tracker as it has its purposes for me.  For speed over 5 miles my AS23 was about 3-5% faster than my Dominator.  You can definitely feel the drag on a wider board.  Even the AS25 feels quite sluggish to me.  Feels like I am towing an anchor oddly.  So not for me.  The AS23 cutting boof is more efficient and faster than my 27.5 deep vee Dom on relatively flat in the ocean.
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

 


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